Last night I dyed my hair dark (I think the color was called 'Black Brown'). I noticed today how bad the job I did was... It is slightly splotchy... But I guess it makes it interesting, hehe, huh? Well, what's the verdict?

Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Today Labor Day is often regarded simply as a day of rest and, unlike the May 1 Labor Day celebrations in most countries, parades, speeches or political demonstrations are rare. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. However, of late, schools have begun well before Labor Day, as early as the 24th of July in many urban districts, including Nashville and Atlanta. In addition, Labor Day marks the beginning of the season for the National Football League and NCAA College Football. The NCAA usually plays their first games the weekend of Labor day, with the NFL playing their first game the Sunday following Labor Day.

2 weeks until the Out of the Darkness Community Walk that I will be participating in (with my mom, Ryan, and a TON of other people). Thanks for all of the support that I have received thus far; to date my support is over $950 - WOW! This isn't just about the funds raised (although they will go to an amazing cause), but it is also about educating the community about suicide and suicide prevention. If you have a minute, visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's website here and learn a little more.

A few general facts about suicide:

Over 30,000 people in the United States die by suicide every year.In 2004 (latest available date), there were 32,439 reported suicide deaths.Suicide is fourth leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years in the U.S., with approximately 26,500 suicides.Currently, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.A person dies by suicide about every 16 minutes in the U.S. An attempt is estimated to be made once every minute.Ninety percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.There are four male suicides for every female suicide, but twice as many females as males attempt suicide.Every day, approximately 80 Americans take their own life, and 1,500 more attempt to do so.

Check out Ryan's Art site if you haven't in the last day or two. He has been updating different pieces he has done lately. I think there are about 3 or 4 new pieces on there. Tell your friends :) RUGGEDWOODSMAN.COM (or use the link on the side bar). ENJOY! :)

SHE'S COMING!! MY MOM IS COMING OUT TO VISIT FOR MY BIRTHDAY (AND THE TWO WEEKS TO FOLLOW)!! It is only 9 days away... How exciting!! I have some stuff planned for us to do (go to the zoo, Wild Animal Park, visit the Haunted Whaley House in Old Town, etc). I chatted with her this afternoon, when she informed me of her MANY requests and demands for her stay (what flavor yogurt to stock, the type of toilet tissue to have, etc). Just kiddin' Mo! She will be flying out September 8th through the 22nd!! GET PUMPED!! (Start packing already Suzie Q!!)

“A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him. "I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?" "All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say. The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry...Finally he put in a call to God.When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"God said "When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up,and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly. I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart. I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.""You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

College Football is starting soon! I have to say it is one of my favorite times of the year. And hopefully Michigan will have a SUPER season!! I was checking out ESPN.com this afternoon and thought I would share the Michigan Appalachian St Preview that they had... LET'S GO BLUE!!

Mike Hart, Chad Henne and Jake Long each had the chance to skip their final collegiate seasons in favor of the NFL. They returned in hope of giving Michigan one of the best offenses in the country.

Led by their talented trio, the No. 5 Wolverines begin their quest for the school's first national title in 10 years when they open the season at home Saturday against Appalachian State, the two-time defending Division I-AA (now NCAA Football Championship Subdivision) champion.

Michigan finished 11-2 in 2006, but the Wolverines' season will be better remembered for the losses in their final two games. Michigan's national title hopes were dashed with a 42-39 defeat in their showdown with Ohio State, and the Wolverines then fell 32-18 to USC in the Rose Bowl.

The outlook for 2007 looked uncertain during the offseason, with the NFL an option for running back Hart, quarterback Henne and left tackle Long -- all of whom will be four-year starters. The three decided to stay, though, and their presence makes the Wolverines preseason favorites to win their first Big Ten championship since 2004.

"It's not fair to criticize a guy for leaving, but these three guys stayed," coach Lloyd Carr said. "I think it speaks volumes about them and what their values and goals are. We're excited to have them back."

Carr should be, after what they've accomplished for the Wolverines. The trio helped Michigan average 29.2 points per game in 2006.

The 5-foot-9, 196-pound Hart finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season after rushing for a career-high 1,562 yards and 14 touchdowns. He needs 794 yards to break Anthony Thomas' school record of 4,472 rushing yards.

Henne completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,508 yards, threw 22 touchdowns and had just eight interceptions for the second straight season. He has started 37 straight contests and needs three TD passes to break the school record of 72 set by John Navarre.

All-American Long, 6-7 and 313 pounds, is one of three returning starters on the offensive line.

"Defenses have to worry about Mike running the ball, about Chad passing the ball and Jake taking care of anybody who comes near him," said Adrian Arrington, who returns along with fellow wideout Mario Manningham to give Michigan a dangerous receiving tandem. The two combined to catch 17 touchdowns in 2006.

While the Wolverines offense appears to be in good shape, only four defensive starters -- led by All-Big Ten linebacker Shawn Crable and safety Jamar Adams -- return from last year's group that led the nation by allowing just 43.4 rushing yards per game.

Michigan will be trying to win its ninth straight season and home opener in its first meeting with Appalachian State. The Wolverines are 90-13-2 in season openers at home.

After finishing 14-1 and beating Massachusetts 28-17 for its second consecutive national championship, the Mountaineers are the likely favorite to win a third straight title. They'll be looking to extend their winning streak to 15 games.

That won't be easy for Appalachian State, which is 6-29-1 against Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams and has lost seven straight to those schools.

"Opening our season against Michigan will be a great test to see what we're made of," Mountaineers All-American running back Kevin Richardson said. "I think it's a great opportunity for Appalachian to continue to get its name out as one of the top college football programs in the country."

Richardson rushed for 1,676 yards and a Division I-AA-record 30 touchdowns last season. He has 3,456 yards and 50 rushing TDs in his career.

Sophomore quarterback Armanti Edwards also returns after throwing for 2,251 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,153 yards and 15 TDs. Appalachian State averaged 35.2 points and 241.3 rushing yards a game last season.

Ryan and I will be traveling up to Santa Barbara this weekend. I am pretty excited about it. Since I had never been to California before packing up and moving out, it is always exciting to travel to the new areas that I have never been to before. We were going to take the train up, but the cost of the tickets were more expensive than gas would cost, so we will just drive up there. We are packing our bikes and I have a few geo cache coordinates to travel to while we are up there too. I have done a little research and found a farmers market, walking tour, and a few places to hike while we are in SB. I am sure there will be plenty of photos when we return. :) Since Monday is Labor Day and neither of us have to work we are going to stay up in Santa Barbara until then (I think we will probably head up there Saturday morning and head back Monday afternoon). We will be staying in a hostel while we are there (since it is about 300x cheaper than a hotel). I have never stayed in a hostel, but am thinking it will be fine.

And no, just in case you were wondering, I have never seen the movie Hostel (like my mom said, of course I've never seen it, it's supposed to be scary, right?).

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

I was hoping to ask everyone to pray for Ryan's job situation. Currently he is working one day a week at Walking on Water, helping them while they are trying to get their new movie out ready for release. The company that he was working for, UMedia, is not bringing in as many clients as they would like and therefore cannot keep him on full time (but are hopefully going to be passing some freelance his way if any comes in). Ryan has been applying at a lot of different companies (anywhere from San Diego to San Francisco). I wanted to ask if you would pray that God leads him to the job that is best for him. He just got back from Japan this past week, so his job hunt has only really started recently. Pray that he does not get discouraged and that he can find a good match for what he is looking for (and if anyone knows of any design firms out on the West Coast, feel free to pass his name along, hehe). Thanks in advance for your prayers and I will definitely keep you updated on how the job hunt is coming.

While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small, And now my tears began to fall! .

I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."

I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today! I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."

I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

I am really digging Incubus' new song "Dig". Check out the video here. I am pumped they are still putting out great music (that sounds original, unlike most of the other stuff that has been coming out lately).

Saturday, August 25, 2007

So yesterday I set Ryan up with a Google photo account (like I have) and helped him upload all 700 of his photos. I linked it on my blog too (it's under Ryan' Photos). Check them out. There aren't comments on them yet (since that would take forever), but at least I got him this far, right :)

Friday, August 24, 2007

Do you remember Fire Balls? Or what about Lemon Heads? I feel like there are so many good old school candies that have been thrown by the wayside over the years. I totally understand, you have to appeal to the public, but come on... They were good! Now everything has moving parts or light up sabers.

Ryan has been using Flickr to load his photos and he has limited space with it. Check out his site here to look at a few of the pictures he took. He is an amazing photographer. When he is able to upload more photos I will update you all.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Tomorrow Meredith Carr and Ryan Laverty will get married (since my Ryan just got back from Japan on Monday we decided not to head back to Michigan for the wedding)!! Check out their wedding site (they have their love story and some fun pictures on there too). I would have never thought about making a wedding site, they are just so smart!

1. Having a negative defeatist attitude. If you think there is no way that you are going to succeed this time, lose the weight and keep it off, then you will be right! However, if you think positively and believe that change is at hand, you will empower your journey, and you will reach your goals!

2. Going on any diet that is NOT a manner of eating that you can adhere to for the rest of your life. Be careful when deciding what nutritional plan you want to follow, as it should be a manner of eating that matches your tastes, budget and lifestyle. You should model all of your future nutritional plans closely after how you lost the weight to keep that weight lost for good!

3. Believing that you will eat cabbage soup -- or any other low-cal, monotonous fare everyday for the rest of your life. If a particular odd "diet" is something that you can barely stomach, it isn't realistic to think you will eat that way for the entire time it takes to lose all the weight. It certainly won't teach you much about how to live healthfully for the long-term. Just say NO, to cabbage soup and other such funky diets!

4. Weighing in too frequently, letting the scale rule your mood and actions. Up to this point, have you been fixated on the scale? Well, if so, it hasn't really helped you lose weight, has it? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, looking for yet another "diet." So do us both a favor, and pack the scale up, put a big red bow around it, and unwrap it after six months of consistent healthful living. It might actually show you something you want to see!

5. Not drinking enough water. You MUST drink at least 64 ounces of water everyday, and for the overachievers, drinking up to ½ your body weight in fluid ounces a day is recommended! Early man packed up all his belongings when his water supply dried up, moved and relocated to another area where water was plentiful. They knew they couldn't live without it. Yet, we modern men have water in our kitchen faucet, and ignore it all day. The difference is that they didn't have soft drinks, coffee, sugar-filled drinks and diet soda. YUCK! Water is all that you need to drink, and you MUST drink at least 64 ounces of it a day!

7. Consuming processed foods more often than fresh foods. Again, think how Early Man lived and what he ate. Eating as close to natural is the best way to ensure that your body is as healthy as possible.

8. Not having a plan. Leaving your actions up to chance in life is never a good idea. "We never plan to fail, we fail to plan." Get a plan and stick with it, but make sure each step is realistic and change is gradual!

9. Not being aware of the nutritional benefits or detriments of what you consume. Lettuce is a great choice to eat, but spinach and other darker leaves have more nutritional benefit than the iceberg variety. If you are going to eat, get the most bang for your buck!

10. Finishing every last bite of a meal, even after you are full. Mother was wrong! Don't clean your plate, let the dishwasher do that!

11. Going back for seconds at meals. Does the word "glutton" sound like something you want to describe you? There is no reason ever to have seconds! If you like it that much, have it as a leftover the next day! Too much of even a good thing is no longer a good thing!

12. Skipping breakfast. Mother was right on this one. It is the most important meal of the day!

13. Starving all day. When you finally get around to eating, it is usually something unhealthy (because you "can"), and it gets stored as energy later, rather than burned as energy now! You totally mess up your metabolism if you do this!

14. Bingeing after "falling off the wagon," and waiting until "tomorrow" to get back on track. Admit now that you will stumble on this journey. Make it your goal to lengthen the amount of time between stumbles, and shorten the time it takes to "get back on track." This way, you may only blow it once a year, and will get back on track in five minutes! You get to that point, and there will be no problem!

15. Thinking you are genetically destined to be fat. The only fat gene is the one left hanging in your closet after you lose your weight! You may be predisposed to a condition, but HOW you live determines how great its effect on your life will be!

16. Treating "fat" as a personality trait. Fat is NOT a personality trait; it is a physical condition. Blond isn't a trait, either; it is a hair color! Do not allow yourself to be branded by ANY physical attribute or determent! YOU are many things, but fat is not one of them. Identify some things you love about who you are, and focus on those. They will help you realize the body you want.

17. Not living each day to the fullest ... thinking that it will come when you are thinner. BE, DO and then you will HAVE! BE a healthier person, DO the things a healthier person DOES and soon, you will HAVE a healthier life!

18. Thinking pills, powders or potions are more powerful than they really are for achieving weight loss. I bought diet pills after Anna Nicole Smith's weight loss. I really thought they would work! $48 later, 30 days of pills swallowed and NOTHING! Not one pound of weight loss. If those things really worked, no one would be overweight!

19. Thinking of exercise as a chore instead of a way to improve your health and life. Not scheduling exercise as a vital part of your day and week. If today, you were in an accident, paralyzed and could never walk again, do you think you would long to be able to go for a walk? Exercise is a "GET TO", not a "HAVE TO." It is a joy to move your body and get your endorphins flowing. They truly are nature's reward for demanding physical fitness of ourselves. PUSH yourself; you will be amazed at how it feels!

20. Indulging excessively in alcohol. Bottom line: When you drink, you suck down excess calories, alter your mind and let down your guard. Stupid things happen when we drink too much. Too many calories, too much food and too many regrets. Live in control and live freely!

21. Watching sports rather than participating in sports. Would it be more fun to watch the Super Bowl or be the MVP of the game? Is it more fun to watch an amazing homerun, or actually bring home the winning run for your softball team? It is more fun to watch spoiled millionaires dribble an orange ball, or run down the court trying to guard an old friend? Sunday football is a tradition, but playing a game of it in your own front yard will provide memories that will last long after the season is over!

22. Watching too much television. New rule: NO TV viewing unless you have walked for 30 minutes! My rule is that I get on my Octane Elliptical machine and stay on it until whatever show I want to watch is over! One night I made the mistake of watching a two-hour show! I did 90 minutes on the Elliptical before throwing in the towel! "Must-see TV," means "want-to-see" body for me!

23. Thinking that "dieting" sprees -- and not a total lifestyle change -- will garner lasting weight loss results. If you aren't changing your life, you aren't making lasting changes! Add a lifestyle makeover to your eDiets.com plan. Visit www.lifechanger.us for more information.

24. Consuming fast foods on a regular basis. The fried, greasy and high-calorie fast food that dominates our society's eating habits today is the leading cause of the obesity epidemic that we now face. If you have no choice other than fast food, please order a salad with grilled chicken, one packet of light dressing w/ lemon wedges, a bottle of water and extra chicken if you are hungry, but when they say "do you want fries with that?" Say, "Do you want me to be unhealthy and die young?" Hopefully, both answers will be no!

25. Waiting for tomorrow to "get started," rather than RIGHT NOW! Right now, there are thousands of members logged on to eDiets.com, in the chat rooms, on the support boards, watching online anytime meetings and waiting to lend their support. There are teams of nutritionists to help you understand basic, healthy human nutritional needs. There is hope, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

We need rain!! I heard on the news this morning that today is the 124th day without rain... Eeeeeks!! It has cooled down at least (it had been 100 the last couple days out here at work, but now I think yesterday and today it is just in the high 80s). I guess there is rain in the forecast for this weekend, but we will see if any of it hits the ground (anything that they have called for prior to this has all evaporated in the air because the air is so dry).

Ryan picked me up some super cool / cute gifts while in Japan. Here are a few pics. He liked the shirt, thought it was '80s feeling. The GIANT Lilo and Stitch toy he won out of a game (like one of the claw ones you play in a pizza place). I named it "Ari" (like 'arigato' - sorry that the spelling is probably really bad, but it means Thank You in Japanese).

Ryan is sick. He went to the doctor's this morning and they gave him a Z Pack for his sinus infection. I just wanted to warn everyone, in case any of you were highly anticipating the posting of photos, videos or blogs from him (haha, I'm sure by now you are all use to the slow response time of Ryan).

What a sweetheart Tami is! She gave out these little Blogging Awards. She nominated me for two different ones, how wonderful that my name even came into her mind. The two awards she put me up for were For the Rockin Girl Blogger award and For the Creative Bloggers award. THANKS TAMI!! Even though I am not sure where these awards come from I would like to nominate you For the Coolest Cat award :) (haha, if you can't tell, I made it up, but you are one cool cat if you ask me)!!

What a great idea :) This guy is starting a movement, FREE HUGS. Check out the website (and the video that is on the site, it is SOOOOOOO good and only about 4 minutes long, you have 4 minutes, right? I mean you are using about that to check out my blog :) ).

Sometimes, a hug is all what we need.

Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whos sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.

In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.

As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring.

In the Spirit of the free hugs campaign, PASS THIS TO A FRIEND and HUG A STRANGER!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

I went to the dentist this morning (my 6 month check up). Everything went well (other than my appointment was at 7:30, I got there by about 7:20 and had to wait till about 7:50 to be seen, and yes I was the only patient there, grrrr). I have no cavities and pearly whites (no need for bleaching they said). They loved my teeth, hehe. The dentist office that I go to is now requiring that all of their patients have an oral cancer screening, so I said I would do it this morning. You have to rinse your mouth with this rinse for about 30 seconds, and it tastes like VINEGAR, yuck! Then they have this little florescent light that they move around your mouth to see if anything changes from pink to white. If there are white splotches then they have to add some other solution and see if it changes blue. If it changes blue then they send you for a biopsy. Thank goodness mine was all pink :) I passed with flying colors, even with all the Diet Mountain Dew I drink.

Monday, August 20, 2007

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The University of Michigan football team will begin the 2007 season ranked fifth in both national polls, following today's (Saturday, Aug. 18) announcement by the Associated Press. The Wolverines were listed fifth in the USA Today Coaches' Poll released Aug. 4.

Michigan received 1,371 votes to rank four points behind No. 4 Texas. Southern California collected 62 of the 65 first-place votes to earn the top spot in the preseason poll. The Trojans are followed in the top five by second-ranked Louisiana State, No. 3 West Virginia, Texas and Michigan.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan football head coach Lloyd Carr announced today (Monday, Aug. 20) that three players -- left tackle Jake Long (Lapeer, Mich./Lapeer East HS), tailback Mike Hart (Syracuse, N.Y./Onondaga Central HS) and outside linebacker Shawn Crable (Massillon, Ohio/Washington HS) -- have been elected captains by their teammates for the 128th season of Wolverine football. Hart and Long will represent the offensive side of the ball and Crable was selected as the defensive captain.

I just received a donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in my name by the Illinois Tool Works Foundation. I don't even know where this came from, who is a part of it, anything, but I want to THANK THEM from the bottom of my heart. I am speechless. I wish I knew who sent this donation in, so that I could thank them with a card and a BIG hug, but I guess sending out a Blog Thank You will have to do. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Since the new donation I have increased my goal again, up to $975. There are a few more weeks before the walk, so if you are still thinking about donating there is still plenty of time!!

Ryan is back on American soil. After 15 days out of the country, Ryan has returned to California. He called me when his plane touched down at LAX (which was about an hour ago) and said he would give me a call on the road back down to San Diego county. I'm sure he will be tired and have to catch up on emails, voice mails, etc, but if he feels up for it we might meet up for dinner or something. I am sure there will be stories and pictures to come (I will remind him to post updates on his blog). Thanks for everyone who was praying for their team and trip (Ryan said that 3 people accepted Christ that they know of). HURRAY!

If you ever see my car, you will probably notice that I don't apply these tips to my own vehicle. It's not that I don't want a clean car, it is more that I live on a dirt alley and when the idiots speed by and throw up all the dust and ricks they cover my car. Also, I don't have outdoor water at my apartment, so the only time to wash my car is when I travel up to Ryan's (or spend a boat load that I do not have at a car wash). But anyway, if you wash your own car, hopefully those tips help you out :).

Not too bad. University of Michigan came in at #25 on the Americans Best Colleges 2008 list. Check the whole list out here. I would have liked to see us a little higher, but as always, IT'S GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE!

I have been overwhelmed for the past 3 weeks at work. I have been filling in for other people on top of my normal stuff for the last 3 weeks, and it has been different people each week. I have been constantly going, which has been nice to be busy, but I feel like I need to take a deep breath. I am glad that next week things should start to go back to 'normal'. Jonna invited me to go to the Padres game Sunday afternoon, which will be fun, but I am not sure if I might just want that day off. She was going to take her two sons, but she wasn't sure if they would both be able to go, so if one can't then I would go and take their place. We'll see. I am just hoping I will be able to feel relaxed by Monday and not so rushed.

Tomorrow is our company picnic. I have been on the committee for planning it (as well as for the Christmas party). It is finally here. We are meeting down at the Bay to set up starting around 10. I think it will be enjoyable. From what I hear, it gets pretty loud. I'm sure there will be stories to come after the weekend. I don't know how long I will be staying there, but we shall see.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

It seems like many people often reflect on their childhood as a time when life was easy and they would give anything to turn back the hands of time and go back to being a kid again. I don't think I would do that, even if it was possible. But anyways, the reason I titled the blog this was because of my current reading choices. I decided while I was walking around the library aimlessly yesterday that I would pick up The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I never really read growing up, so I missed a lot of the 'children' stories. I figured I would start with this book and see how I liked it (there are 7 books in the series, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe if book number 2 if you were wondering). Right now I am a little over half way through (I was reading for my lunch break) and I like it, slightly childish, but really, what else would you expect from a children's book, hehe. Anyway, I'm always looking for book ideas, so let me know if you have any. As of today I have read 6 books in the last week and a half... For someone who never reads, I'd have to say I am making some headway.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

One month left to go until I participate in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention walk, Out of the Darkness Community Walk. I am still fundraising and would ask anyone who was still considering to donate to the Foundation in my name to continue pondering the idea. I am not sure if you have checked out my personal walker page, but if you haven't check it out here. I am continuing to increase my donation goal, so if you have visited before and see a new, higher number, that is because I have had some great support so far and hope that I can continue to bring light to this extremely important issue. Thanks again to those who have already donated and thanks in advance for considering donating if you haven't yet.

A trucker came into a truck stop cafe and placed his order. He said, "I want three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards." The brand new blonde waitress, not wanting to appear stupid, went to the Kitchen and said to the cook, "This guy out there just ordered three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards. What does he think this place is...an auto parts store?"

"No," the cook said. "Three flat tires mean three pancakes, a pair of headlights is two eggs sunny side up, and running boards are two slices of crisp bacon."

"Oh, OK!" said the blonde. She thought about it for a moment and then Spooned up a bowl of beans and gave it to the customer."

The trucker asked, "What are the beans for Blondie?" She replied, "I thought while you were waiting for the flat tires, headlights and running boards, you might as well gas up!"

-----

She's Attractive

Miss Jones had been giving her second-grade students a lesson on science. She had explained about magnets and showed how they would pick up nails and other bits of iron.

Now it was question time, and she asked, "My name begins with the letter 'M' and I pick up things. What am I?" A little boy on the front row proudly said, "You're a mother!"

So this weekend I finished The Kite Runner (actually Friday night I did). Saturday I tried to start Catch 22, but I just couldn't get into it. I returned it yesterday to the library and actually picked up two books by the same author, Mitch Albom. I remember reading Tuesdays with Morrie and liking it, so I thought I would read the next 2 books. Last night I started and finished The five people you meet in heaven. I really enjoyed it. I know it has NO religious backing, but I still thought it was an entertaining and well written book. Today I will start (and hopefully finish) the next book I have For one more day.

Kevin submitted a shirt to threadless! Click on the above image to go to the site and vote for it! Tell your friends :-) If you aren't registered already, you'll have to sign up to vote. Don't feel obligated, but if he gets enough high scores, the shirt will be printed, and he will win a large sum of money!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Yesterday was an extremely sad day in the Padot household. Dizzy, our doggy, had to be put to sleep. I know this isn't a great photo, but it's the only one I have on my computer. We will all miss him very, very much.